General
The Daspletosaurus is an interesting therapod hailing from the Alberta to Montana region. It was likely the largest therapod in its area, dwarfing the Gorgosaurus. While there is still some debate about which specimen are Albertasaurus and which are Daspletosaurus, there is no question that Daspletosaurus was once its own animal. Coming on the scene before Tyrannosaurus, it lived roughly “79.5 and 74 million years ago”, (Wikipedia).
Characteristics
Daspletosaurus featured many traits common in tyrannosaurs: a large head, strong teeth, thick tail, three toed feet and short stubby arms. Interestingly, the arms of the Daspletosaurus are the proportionately largest arms of any tyrannosaur, though not very large overall. Their thicker snouts and overall larger bulkier size contributed to their niche in the late cretaceous era.
| Genus: | Daspletosaurus |
| Meaning: | “Frightful Lizard” |
| Discovered: | Alberta |
| Class: | Tyrannosaur |
| Size: | 9 Meters long, 2.6 Meters tall. |
| Paleo Rating: | 36/42 |
| References: | Info taken from: Daspletosaurus – Wikipedia Image from: Daspletosaurus torosus by durbed – Daspletosaurus – Wikipedia |
Did you know?
Daspletosaurus lived alongside the Gorgosaurus, evidently filling different niches.
Interesting Facts
- Some of the Daspletosaurus skeletons show bite marks from other tyrannosaurs, including marks that healed up. This could indicate battles for dominance or even cannibalism among each other. This trait can be seen in modern Comodo dragons.
- Exactly how Daspletosaurus lived alongside Gorgosaurus, and which niches they filled differently is currently unknown. At the least, it is theorized that the lightly built Gorgosaurus targeted the Hadrosaurs while the the heavier Daspletosaurus targeted the bigger and more dangerous Ceratopsians
